Oct. 19, 2013
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WASHINGTON - The Georgetown volleyball team (8-12, 2-5 BIG EAST) dropped a tough, three-set decision to St. John's (25-11, 25-20, 25-13) Saturday night in a BIG EAST match at McDonough Arena.
"Tonight was tough for us because we did not pass well early on," Hoyas head coach Arlisa Williams said. "We could not get in system, which made it very difficult for our hitters to terminate balls. We passed well late but the hole we dug ourselves into was too big to get out of."
Dani White (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) led the Hoyas' offense with seven kills while Lauren Saar (Richland, Mich./Plainwell) added six kills and Alex Johnson (Tampa, Fla./Plant) had five. MacKenzie Simpson (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford) led the defense with eight digs and Saar was right behind her with seven. Caitlin Brauneis (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) had 23 assists.
In the first set, a kill by Saar and block from Annalee Abell (Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay) and Ashlie Williams (Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount) cut the St. John's (14-9, 3-4 BIG EAST) early lead to 7-3, but the Red Storm scored seven of the next eight points to open a 14-6 advantage. The Hoyas could not mount another comeback as St. John's came away with a 25-11 win in the opening set. Saar, White, Abell and Johnson all had two kills offensively while Saar led the way with five digs.
It was Georgetown's turn to jump out to an early lead in the second set, as the Hoyas took an early 8-3 advantage. Johnson led the charge with two kills and one of her two service aces while Saar also added two kills. Williams also added a kill in the run. With the Georgetown lead at 12-6, St. John's rattled off nine straight points to erase the deficit and take a 15-12 lead. The Hoyas fought back to tie the score at 17 behind two kills from White and another ace by Johnson. An attacking error by the Red Storm gave the lead back to Georgetown at 18-17, but they then went on a 7-1 run to force set point at 24-19. After another St. John's error, the visitors put away the set with a kill. White had three kills in the set while Saar and Johnson each added two. Emily Gisolfi (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) led the defense with six digs.
The third set was tight until a 5-2 run by the Red Storm gave them a 10-7 lead. Following a joint block from Abell and White, St. John's went on another big run, this time scoring nine of 11 points to take a commanding 19-10 lead. Kills by Saar, Williams and Johnson were not enough to mount any kind of a comeback as St. John's clinched the sweep with a 25-13 win in the third set.
Georgetown heads back out on the road next weekend for a pair of Big East matches. The Hoyas will play at DePaul on Friday, Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. before traveling to Marquette for a match at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27.
